I use them occasionally, but for the most part I just go without any sweetener. I use stevia or Splenda in my coffee (not a daily coffee drinker though. I wouldn't say it makes me crave sweets more, but it doesn't really satisfy my sweet tooth either. I will use honey unless I am trying to cut carbs/calories that day. In the end if I want something sweet that badly... then I just have something sweet and bad for me. Once a month or so... and it doesn't seem to have stalled my progress. Luckily I have always been a salty/savory lover!

I'm sure others will have different experiences but for me, sugar-free sweeteners don't taste terrible. They actually taste just fine, unless I use too much in something. From my experience they do not make me crave sugar, they actually let me have that bit of sweetness that I need. I can afford the calories in real sugar, but I'm used to the artificial stuff, and I was never a big sugar user anyway. I'm not sure about the cancer causing thing, the studies done have said there's not a cancer link, but for all the chemical it contains, I'm pretty sure it's no worse than a SAD diet of chemical-laden processed foods.

F 28/5'4/100 lbs

"I'm not a psychopath, I'm a high-functioning sociopath; do your research."

Here's Mark's break down article on sweeteners... On the Question of Sweeteners | Mark's Daily Apple
I can tell you that 100% without a doubt the "excitotoxin" thing is true in Equal/NutraSweet/Aspartame... it is a trigger for many people with Migraines.
I don't consider any of that chemistry lab stuff very healthy.

I do use a small amount of stevia drops.
Sweet Leaf brand... there is an after taste if you use too much, but there is a funky taste with the artificial sweetners too. So you can't ever have things really sweet.
I'm not sure you should want them REALLY sweet anyway... *shrug*

If I want a full on dessert experience is use real honey or maple syrup. Or natural cane sugar like sucanat.
I sometimes sweeten baked winter squash with a couple of finely chopped medjool dates...

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
~Friedrich Nietzsche
And that's why I'm here eating HFLC Primal/Paleo.